On behalf of NAFSA’s Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship Knowledge Community (TLS KC), we are very pleased to present the 12th issue of the Global Studies Literature Review (GSLR). The issue’s theme, “Moving Beyond the Status Quo: Advancing Inclusive Excellence in International Education,” which sparked 3 feature essays and 14 book reviews, is extremely relevant and timely as it guides our collective way forward in this critical moment. In the last few years, the world has experienced an unprecedented period of simultaneous global health and climate crises, civil and social unrest, and terrorist attacks and wars. The call for social and racial justice, combined with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), has been heightened in all sectors of public and private industry but especially in higher education as well as the field of international education.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and into the current changing landscape, international education has been disrupted as never before. However, with disruption comes the ability to be reflective, even critical, and to look towards change. Recently, the field has been grappling with the important call to embody global DEI within the values, goals, and outcomes of all of its functions. It is crucial that international educators take time to question the existing assumptions and biases that hinder us from creating an inclusive environment and to be truly thoughtful to affect real change. This issue of GSLR encourages reflecting on the challenges of the past in promoting DEI in our work, and more importantly looking toward a more inclusive and equitable future for international education research and practice.
We would like to thank Nick Gozik, PhD for his leadership and hard work as the editor of the GSLR and bringing this issue to life. We also would like to recognize Melissa Whatley, PhD, the TLS KC’s Research and Scholarship Network Leader for her role as the TLS KC Liaison to the GSLR. Their scholarly passion and insights have guided the process and the conversations within the issue.
We are proud and grateful to present the current issue and be a part of the march towards an inclusive future. We commend all who have written submissions for this issue and all the literature that has been reviewed. We hope that this issue will serve as a platform for conversations on how to incorporate DEI in our daily practice and to actively confront systemic issues actively in the field of international education.
- Ji-Yeung Jang, PhD, Rutgers University, TLS KC chair
- Holly Carter, PhD, Harlaxton College/University of Evansville, TLS KC past-chair
- Katherine Punteney, PhD, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, TLS KC chair-elect